Political Climate

Clean energy is known to help grow economies and reduce carbon emissions. Can it also help strengthen democracies? 

That may seem like a tall order for a set of technologies. But when you consider how petro-dictatorships have roiled global markets in the past year – triggering price spikes, resource shortages, and even war – making the U.S. an arsenal of clean energy could help pave the way to greater stability. 

Political Climate launched the “Arsenal of Clean Energy” podcast series to tackle tough questions on how to balance climate action with immediate energy demands, while maintaining affordable prices for consumers, promoting economic growth and enhancing national security. In this fourth and final episode of the series, host Julia Pyper sits down with Josh Freed, the head of Third Way's Climate and Energy Program, to connect the dots on these topics and how to think about the path forward. 

To round out the episode, we hear from U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on why now is a critical time for America to lead. 

The “Arsenal of Clean Energy” is made possible by Third Way, a center-left think tank championing modern solutions to the most challenging problems in US policy. Learn more at thirdway.org

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Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Political Climate is supported by the USC Schwarzenegger Institute and published in partnership with Canary media. Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

The Inflation Reduction Act has not only been signed into law, President Biden and Democratic leaders hosted a nearly full-day celebratory event at the White House last week to underscore passage of the historic bill. But the hard work of implementing the law and rolling out its $370 billion in climate and clean energy investments is only just beginning. 

In this Political Climate Newsflash episode, host Julia Pyper and producer Maria Virginia Olano bring you an inside look at what’s next for companies and organizations on the front lines of making the promise of the IRA a reality. Cleantech industry leaders from BlocPower, Sunrun, Q-Cells, Breakthrough Energy and beyond gathered at a roundtable ahead of the White House event to discuss the road ahead. This episode features voices from that conversation. 

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

California experienced a record-setting heat wave in early September that brought the state’s electricity grid very close to failure and forced tough choices on customers trying to stay cool while complying with alerts to save energy. 

Against that backdrop, the state legislature moved to pass a suite of climate and energy bills, a record $54 billion in new climate spending, and a plan to extend the life of the state’s last nuclear power plant — all just days after the state finalized one of the most ambitious rules to stop the sale of new gas-powered cars. 

What does this big policy push say about the state of California’s energy mix? And how is the world’s 5th largest economy planning to cope with the intensifying impacts of climate change? 

Political Climate hosts Julia Pyper and Shane Skelton are joined by Sammy Roth, staff writer at the LA Times and author of the weekly Boiling Point newsletter, to discuss how the clean energy transition is playing out in California and the lessons it can teach the rest of the country. 

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

Many of our homes use fossil fuels to keep us warm, heat our water, and cook our food. But as the U.S. moves to decarbonize, there’s a push for homeowners to switch to electric appliances and systems. Now, with the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law, there’s an enormous amount of new funding available to accelerate that transition. 

In this Political Climate Newsflash episode, host Julia Pyper and producer Maria Virginia Olano are joined by Ari Matusiak, CEO of Rewiring America, a non-profit working to electrify everything in our homes, businesses and communities. They break down the rebates, tax credits, and other programs in the climate law that will help American households go electric – and how much money consumers can save in the process.

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

The Inflation Reduction Act has been aptly labeled a “climate bill,” but in many ways it’s an “American competitiveness bill.”

Building and deploying clean energy technology within the U.S. is a major focus of the $450 billion spending package, with the potential for exporting those solutions around the globe. This new investment comes amid concerns that the US has been falling behind other nations (most notably China) in global energy innovation race.

On this episode of Political Climate, we discuss how the Inflation Reduction Act — signed into law this week by President Biden — is poised to change the U.S. innovation landscape. With new support for laboratory research and real world project demonstrations, building out supply chains and more, we may be entering a new era for American competitiveness.

Varun Sivaram, senior advisor to U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and his managing director for clean energy, innovation, and competitiveness joins the podcast, as well as Nick Montoni, senior innovation policy advisor for the Climate and Energy Program at Third Way.

"Arsenal of Clean Energy" is made possible by Third Way, a center-left think tank championing modern solutions to the most challenging problems in US policy, including the economy, national security and climate change. Learn more at thirdway.org 

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Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

Whiplash, anyone? After many months of intense negotiations and more than one derailment, the U.S. Senate recently passed the largest legislative investment in climate action in U.S. history.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 contains an enormous amount of spending for climate protection and clean energy — $369 billion over 10 years — and is expected to put the country on a path to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030. 

But it’s not all good news for everyone. In order to get the support of Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, the final bill made significant cuts to the Democrats’ initial budget reconciliation plan, plus some other compromises. 

Political Climate hosts Julia Pyper, Shane Skelton and Brandon Hurlbut discuss how climate and clean energy provisions survived the reconciliation bill roller coaster and the impact of key elements of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

Have we entered a new era for nuclear power? Energy security needs, financial pressures, and climate concerns are driving renewed interest in nuclear power plants — particularly small modular reactors that are easier and cheaper to build. Amid growing global demand, the U.S. has an opportunity to lead in an emerging nuclear technology race. 

But the successful deployment of advanced nuclear projects hinges on policy support to mobilize investment and streamline construction. 

In the second episode of Political Climate’s Arsenal of Clean Energy series, host Julia Pyper is joined by Alan Ahn, senior resident fellow for Third Way's Climate and Energy Program and Carol Berrigan, executive director of federal programs and supplier relations at the Nuclear Energy Institute, to discuss how inventing and deploying U.S. advanced nuclear technology can help securely decarbonize energy systems and revitalize former coal communities at home and abroad. 

"Arsenal of Clean Energy” is made possible by Third Way, a center-left think tank championing modern solutions to the most challenging problems in US policy, including the economy, national security and climate change. Learn more at thirdway.org 

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Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

How can you go solar when you can’t put panels on your roof? Don't worry, there is a way! Through shared solar arrays — a model known as community solar. 

In this Political Climate Newsflash episode, host Julia Pyper and producer Maria Virginia Olano are joined by Canary Media Staff Writer Alison Takemura to discuss the growing popularity of community solar. Currently there are 4.9 gigawatts of community solar installed in the United States, and big plans to grow that number exponentially over the next decade. 

Not only does community solar put more clean energy on the grid and help states and municipalities reach their climate and clean energy goals, but it can also save people money on their electric bills. But the success of community solar projects often hinges on putting the right policies in place. 

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

The U.S. Supreme Court wrapped up its term last month with a series of high-profile and controversial decisions — including on the case West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. In that opinion, a 6-3 majority determined the EPA does not have the authority to regulate carbon emissions from power plants based on the “generation shifting” approach used in the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.

Conservative leaders applauded the decision for reigning in regulatory overreach, while liberals and environmentalists expressed shock and dismay at restrictions placed on rules to reduce emissions. What the Supreme Court case ultimately means for climate action is complex. There are regulations the EPA can still pursue. At the same time, a legal shadow now hangs over government agencies amid ongoing gridlock in Congress. 

To discuss the path forward, Political Climate hosts Julia Pyper and Shane Skelton are joined by Jay Duffy, an attorney with the Clean Air Task Force, who represented a diverse group of environmental and public health organizations in the West Virginia v. EPA case.

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate. While you're here, please leave a review! Thank you.

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org

As nations scramble to wean off of Russian energy, the U.S. has committed to supporting its European allies in their quest for energy security. At the same time, American consumers are confronting the highest rate of inflation in 40 years, paying more at the pump and for their utility bills than ever before.

These trends have led to an increase in U.S. oil and gas production — and calls for even greater market expansion. But this shift could have serious implications for the clean energy transition. On this episode of Political Climate, we wrestle with how to walk the fine line between meeting today’s immediate energy demands, maintaining lower prices for American consumers and achieving our climate goals.

This is the first episode in a monthly podcast series we’re calling “The Arsenal of Clean Energy: Strengthening the Bonds of Clean Energy, Innovation, and Sovereignty," featuring leading economists and energy policy experts Ellen Hughes-Cromwick of Third Way, Dana Peterson of The Conference Board, and Christy Goldfuss of the Center for American Progress.

“Arsenal of Clean Energy” is made possible by Third Way, a center-left think tank championing modern solutions to the most challenging problems in US policy, including the economy, national security and climate change. Learn more at thirdway.org

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